Rapid Detection of Accelerants in Fire Debris Using a Field Portable Mid-Infrared Quantum Cascade Laser Based Analyzer

Arson presents a challenging crime scene for fire investigators worldwide. Key to the investigation of suspected arson cases is the analysis of fire debris for the presence of accelerants or ignitable liquids. This study has investigated the application and method development of vapor phase mid-Infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy using a field portable quantum cascade laser (QCL) based system for the detection and identification of accelerant residues such as gasoline, diesel, and ethanol in fire debris. A searchable spectral library of various ignitable fluids and fuel components measured in the vapor phase was constructed that allowed for real-time identification of accelerants present in samples using software developed in-house. Measurement of vapors collected from paper material that had been doused with an accelerant followed by controlled burning and then extinguished with water showed that positive identification could be achieved for gasoline, diesel, and ethanol. This vapor phase mid-IR QCL method is rapid, easy to use, and has the sensitivity and discrimination capability that make it well suited for non-destructive crime scene sample analysis. Sampling and measurement can be performed in minutes with this 7.5 kg instrument. This vibrational spectroscopic method required no time-consuming sample pretreatment or complicated solvent extraction procedure. The results of this initial feasibility study demonstrate that this portable fire debris analyzer would greatly benefit arson investigators performing analysis on-site.

MOF/Polymer-Integrated Multi-Hotspot Mid-Infrared Nanoantennas for Sensitive Detection of CO_(2) Gas

Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)have been extensively used for gas sorption,storage and separation owing to ultrahigh porosity,exceptional thermal stability,and wide structural diversity.However,when it comes to ultra-low concentration gas detection,technical bottlenecks of MOFs appear due to the poor adsorption capacity at ppm-/ppblevel concentration and the limited sensitivity for signal transduction.Here,we present hybrid MOF-polymer physi-chemisorption mechanisms integrated with infrared(IR)nanoantennas for highly selective and ultrasensitive CO_(2) detection.To improve the adsorption capacity for trace amounts of gas molecules,MOFs are decorated with amino groups to introduce the chemisorption while maintaining the structural integrity for physisorption.Additionally,leveraging all major optimization methods,a multi-hotspot strategy is proposed to improve the sensitivity of nanoantennas by enhancing the near field and engineering the radiative and absorptive loss.As a benefit,we demonstrate the competitive advantages of our strategy against the state-of-the-art miniaturized IR CO_(2) sensors,including low detection limit,high sensitivity(0.18%/ppm),excellent reversibility(variation within 2%),and high selectivity(against C_(2)H_(5)OH,CH_(3)OH,N_(2)).This work provides valuable insights into the integration of advanced porous materials and nanophotonic devices,which can be further adopted in ultra-low concentration gas monitoring in industry and environmental applications.

Development of a Broadly Tunable Mid-Infrared Laser Source for Highly Sensitive Multiple Trace Gas Detection

A room-temperature broadly tunable mid-infrared difference frequency laser source for highly sensitive trace gas detection has been developed recently in our laboratory. The mid-infrared laser system is based on quasi-phase-matched （QPM） difference frequency generation （DFG） in a multigrating, temperature-controlled periodically poled LiNbO3 （PPLN） crystal and employs two near-infrared diode lasers as pump sources. The mid-infrared coherent radiation generated is tunable from 3.2 μm to 3.7μm with an output power of about 100 μW. By changing one of the pump laser head with another wavelength range, we can readily obtain other needed mid-infrared wavelength range cover. The performance of the mid-infrared laser system and its application to highly sensitive spectroscopic detection of CH4, HCl, CH2O, and NO2 has been carried out. A multi-reflection White cell was used in the experiment gaining ppb-level sensitivity. The DFG laser system has the features of compact, room-temperature operation, narrow line-width, and broadly continuous tunable range for potential applications in industry and environmental monitoring.

Up-conversion detection of mid-infrared light carrying orbital angular momentum

Frequency up-conversion is an effective method of mid-infrared(MIR) detection by converting long-wavelength photons to the visible domain, where efficient detectors are readily available. Here, we generate MIR light carrying orbital angular momentum(OAM) from a difference frequency generation process and perform up-conversion on it via sum frequency conversion in a bulk quasi-phase-matching crystal. The maximum quantum conversion efficiencies from MIR to visible are 34.0%, 10.4%, and 3.5% for light with topological charges of 0, 1, and 2, respectively, achieved by utilizing an optimized strong pump light. We also verify the OAM conservation with a specially designed interferometer, and the results agree well with the numerical simulations. Our study opens up the possibilities for generating, manipulating, and detecting MIR light that carries OAM, and will have great potential for optical communications and remote sensing in the MIR regime.

Generation of broadly tunable picosecond mid-infrared laser and sensitive detection of a mid-infrared signal by parametric frequency up-conversion in MgO:LiNbO_3 optical parametric amplifiers

Picosecond optical parametric generation and amplification in the near-infrared region within 1.361-1.656 μm and the mid-infrared region within 2.976-4.875 μm is constructed on the basis of bulk MgO：LiNbO 3 crystals pumped at 1.064 μm.The maximum pulse energy reaches 1.3 mJ at 1.464 μm and 0.47 mJ at 3.894 μm,corresponding to a pumpto-idler photon conversion efficiency of 25%.By seeding the hard-to-measure mid-infrared radiation as the idler in the optical parametric amplification and measuring the amplified and frequency up-converted signal in the near-infrared or even visible region,one can measure very week mid-infrared radiation with ordinary detectors,which are insensitive to mid-infrared radiation,with a very high gain.A maximum gain factor of about 7 脳 10 7 is achieved at the mid-infrared wavelength of 3.374 μm and the corresponding energy detection limit is as low as about 390 aJ per pulse.

Application of Mass Spectrometry (MS)-coupled Techniques in Pesticide Residue Detection

Pesticide residue detection is an important work to ensure the quality safety of agricultural products.In the process of agricultural production,in order to prevent and control agricultural diseases and pests,a certain amount of pesticides need to be used.However,if pesticides are used excessively,there will be certain pesticide residues in crops and related products.Therefore,it is necessary to do a good job in pesticide residue detection.The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)detection methods have good results and can effectively detect pesticide residues in related products.This paper reviewed and analyzed the application of GC-MS and LC-MS in pesticide residue detection,and proposed optimization measures based on practical experience,hoping to provide reference for relevant scholars.

Preparation of polythiophene/WO_3 organic-inorganic hybrids and their gas sensing properties for NO_2 detection at low temperature

Polythiophene/WO3（PTP/WO3）organic-inorganic hybrids were synthesized by an in situ chemical oxidative polymerization method,and char- acterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,transmission electron microscopy（TEM）and thermo-gravimetric analysis（TGA）.The Polythiophene/ WO3 hybrids have higher thermal stability than pure polythiophene,which is beneficial to potential application as chemical sensors.Gas sensing measurements demonstrate that the gas sensor based on the Polythiophene/WO3 hybrids has high response and good selectivity for de- tecting NO2 of ppm level at low temperature.Both the operating temperature and PTP contents have an influence on the response of PTP/WO3 hybrids to NO2.The 10 wt%PTP/WO3 hybrid showed the highest response at low operating temperature of 70-C.It is expected that the PTP/WO3 hybrids can be potentially used as gas sensor material for detecting the low concentration of NO2 at low temperature.

Test on oxygen and benzene contents in gasoline by mid-infrared spectroscopy

This paper aims at testing oxygen and benzene contents in gasoline by mid-infrared spectroscopy.The experimental results prove that infrared spectroscopy(IR)is reliable.Compared with gas chromatography(GC)technology,this paper draws a conclusion that IR has several advantages,including rapid analysis,excellent repeatability and low analysis cost.

SELECTIVE SULFUR DIOXIDE DETERMINATION BY GAS DIFFUSION FLOW INJECTION ANALYSIS WITH CHEMILUMINESCENT DETECTION

Sulfur dioxide has been found to decrease the chemiluminescence of luminol-iodine system.A new determination method for sulfur dioxide in atmosphere is developed by applying this reaction to a flow injection gas diffusion separation system.This permits the determination of sulfur dioxide selectively and rapidly.

Wide dynamic detection range of methane gas based on enhanced cavity absorption spectroscopy

Integrated cavity output spectroscopy(ICOS) is an effective technique in trace gase detection.The strong absorption due to the long optical path of this method makes it challenging in the application scenes that have large gas concentration fluctuation,especially when the gas concentration is high.In this paper,we demonstrate an extension of the dynamic range of ICOS by using a detuned laser combined with an off-axis integrating cavity.With this,we improve the upper limit of the dynamic detection range from 0.1%(1000 ppm) to 20% of the gas concentration.This method provides a way of using ICOS in the applications with unpredictable gas concentrations such as gas leak detection,ocean acidification,carbon sequestration,etc.

Detection and analysis of gas tightness of continuous annealing furnaces

When a cold rolled strip is being treated in a continuous annealing furnace which is full of protective gas, the gas tightness of the furnace body, the connected facilities and the gas channels become an important indicator that directly affects the product＇s surface quality and shows the technical level of the design, the manufacture and the installation. By considering the problems of the gas tightness of a vertical annealing furnace in the installation and maintenance, this thesis evaluates the gas tightness indicator and gas tightness related level of the furnace body and the circulation duct, while studying and analyzing the technologies of negative-pressure leak detection and sealing.

A gas kick early detection method outside riser based on Doppler ultrasonic wave during deepwater drilling

The feasibility of gas kick early detection outside the riser was analyzed based on gas-liquid multiphase flow theory.Then an experimental platform for gas kick early detection based on Doppler ultrasonic wave was established and the propagation experiments in two-phase flow of gas-water(sucrose solutions)were conducted.The time and frequency domains of the Doppler ultrasonic wave signals during the experiments were analyzed.The results show that:(1)No matter the pump was on or off,the detected average Doppler ultrasonic signal voltage increased first and then decreased with the increase of the gas void fraction,and had a quadratic function relation with gas void fraction,so the average voltage change of the monitored signals can be used to deduce the approximate gas void fraction.The Doppler ultrasonic wave signal voltage was significantly reduced in magnitude and variation in the solution with higher viscosity,and the viscosity has stronger impact on the magnitude of signal than density.(2)When the pump was stopped,the Doppler shift increased with the increase of gas void fraction,and the two showed a nearly linear relation,so the detected amount of Doppler shift can reflect the variation of gas void fraction quantitatively.When the pump was on,the sound energy produced by frequency converter had a more significant impact on amplitude spectrum than gas void fraction,so it is impossible to determine whether gas kick occurs by frequency domain signal analysis.(3)This method is a non-contact measurement,with no contact with the drilling fluid and no disruption to the drilling operation.It can quantitatively characterize the gas void fraction according to the change of Doppler ultrasonic signal,enabling earlier detection of gas kick.

Intra-Cavity Absorption Sensors for Gas Detection Using Wavelength Sweep Technique

Wavelength sweep technique （WST） is introduced into intra-cavity fiber laser （ICFL） for low concentration gas detection. The limitation induced by noise can be eliminated using this method, and the performance of the system is improved. The sensitivity of the system is reduced to less than 300 ppm. With WST, sweeping characteristic of the ICFL can be described according to known gas absorption spectra.

Rock physics modeling of heterogeneous carbonatereservoirs： porosity estimation and hydrocarbon detection

In heterogeneous natural gas reservoirs, gas is generally present as small patch-like pockets embedded in the water-saturated host matrix. This type of heterogeneity, alsocalled ＂patchy saturation＂, causes significant seismic velocity dispersion and attenuation. Toestablish the relation between seismic response and type of fluids, we designed a rock physicsmodel for carbonates. First, we performed CT scanning and analysis of the fluid distributionin the partially saturated rocks. Then, we predicted the quantitative relation between the waveresponse at different frequency ranges and the basic lithological properties and pore fluids.A rock physics template was constructed based on thin section analysis of pore structuresand seismic inversion. This approach was applied to the limestone gas reservoirs of the rightbank block of the Amu Darya River. Based on poststack wave impedance and prestack elasticparameter inversions, the seismic data were used to estimate rock porosity and gas saturation.The model results were in ~ood a^reement with the production regime of the wells.

Raman signal enhancement for gas detection using a dual near-concentric cavities group

Effective methods are urgently required to optimize Raman spectroscopy technology to ameliorate its low detection sensitivity.Here,we superposed two near-concentric cavities to develop a dual near-concentric cavities group(DNCCG)to assess its effect on gas Raman signal intensity,signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),and limit of detection(LOD).The results showed that DNCCG generally had higher CO_(2) Raman signal intensity than the sum of two near-concentric cavities.Meanwhile,the noise intensity of DNCCG was not enhanced by the superposition of near-concentric cavities.Accordingly,DNCCG increased the SNR.The LOD for CO_(2) was 24.6 parts per million.DNCCG could be an effective method to improve the detection capability of trace gases and broaden the dynamic detection range,which might aid the future development of innovative technology for multicomponent gas detection.

A visible-light-assisted Pd/TiO_(2)gas sensor with carbon nanotubes electrodes for trace formaldehyde detection

Owing to the ppb-level detection standard toward the toxic and harmful gas,the detection of trace gases has become an important subject in the field of indoor environment management.However,the traditional resistive gas sensors hardly meet the requirement due to the weak signal generated by trace gas molecules that are difficult to capture.Herein,a visible-light-assisted Pd/TiO_(2)gas sensor is proposed to endow the effective detection of trace formaldehyde(HCHO)gas without heating temperature.Benefiting from the enhanced photocatalytic properties of TiO_(2)by Pd decoration,the visible-light-assisted Pd/TiO_(2)gas sensor can detect the HCHO gas as low as80×10^(–9)at room temperature.The successful preparation of nanoscale TiO_(2)sensing layer is facilitated by the ultrathin carbon nanotube interdigital electrode in the gas sensor,which avoids the discontinuity of the sensing layer caused by the excessive thickness of the traditional metal electrode.In addition,the whole preparation process of the Pd/TiO_(2)gas sensor with carbon nanotube electrodes is compatible with mainstream CMOS fabrication technology,which is expected to realize the batch fabrication and micro-integrated application of gas sensors.It is expected that our work can provide a new strategy for the batch preparation of high-performance trace HCHO gas sensors and their future applications in portable electronic devices such as smartphones.

Combining TDLAS and multi-fusion algorithms for methane gas concentration detection

High-precision methane gas detection is of great importance in industrial safety, energy production and environmental protection, etc. However, in the existing measurement techniques, the methane gas concentration information is susceptible to noise, which leads to its useful signal being drowned by noise. A fusion algorithm of variational modal decomposition(VMD) and improved wavelet threshold filtering is proposed, which is used in combination with tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy(TDLAS) to implement a non-contact, high-resolution methane gas concentration detection. The fusion algorithm can perform noise reduction and further segmentation of the methane gas detection signal. And the simulation and experiment verify the effectiveness of the fusion algorithm, and the experimental results show that for the detection of air containing 10 ppm, 30 ppm, 60 ppm, 80 ppm, and 99 ppm methane, the errors are 12.75%, 8.18%, 3.37%, 2.46%, and 1.78%, respectively.

A proposed NMR solution for multi-phase flow fluid detection

In the petroleum industry,detection of multi-phase fluid flow is very important in both surface and down-hole measurements.Accurate measurement of high rate of water or gas multi-phase flow has always been an academic and industrial focus.NMR is an efficient and accurate technique for the detection of fluids;it is widely used in the determination of fluid compositions and properties.This paper is aimed to quantitatively detect multi-phase flow in oil and gas wells and pipelines and to propose an innovative method for online nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)detection.The online NMR data acquisition,processing and interpretation methods are proposed to fill the blank of traditional methods.A full-bore straight tube design without pressure drop,a Halbach magnet structure design with zero magnetic leakage outside the probe,a separate antenna structure design without flowing effects on NMR measurement and automatic control technology will achieve unattended operation.Through the innovation of this work,the application of NMR for the real-time and quantitative detection of multi-phase flow in oil and gas wells and pipelines can be implemented.

The Sensitive Properties of Hydrate Reservoirs Based on Seismic Stereoscopic Detection Technology

Higher-precision determinations of hydrate reservoirs, hydrate saturation levels and storage estimations are important for guaranteeing the ability to continuously research, develop and utilize natural gas hydrate resources in China. With seismic stereoscopic detection technology, which fully combines the advantages of different seismic detection models, hydrate formation layers can be observed with multiangle, wide-azimuth, wide-band data with a high precision. This technique provides more reliable data for analyzing the distribution characteristics of gas hydrate reservoirs, establishing velocity models, and studying the hydrate-sensitive properties of petrophysical parameters;these data are of great significance for the exploration and development of natural gas hydrate resources. Based on a velocity model obtained from the analysis of horizontal streamer velocity data in the hydrate-bearing area of the Shenhu Sea, this paper uses three VCs(longitudinal spacing of 25 m) and four OBSs(transverse spacing of 200 m) to jointly detect seismic datasets consisting of wave points based on an inversion of traveltime imaging sections. Accordingly, by comparing the differences between the seismic phases in the original data and the forward-modeled seismic phases, multiangle coverage constraint corrections are applied to the initial velocity model, and the initial model is further optimized, thereby improving the imaging quality of the streamer data. Petrophysical elastic parameters are the physical parameters that are most directly and closely related to rock formations and reservoir physical properties. Based on the optimized velocity model, the rock elastic hydrate-sensitive parameters of the hydrate reservoirs in the study area are inverted, and the sensitivities of the petrophysical parameters to natural gas hydrates are investigated. According to an analysis of the inversion results obtained from these sensitive parameters, λρ, Vp and λμ are simultaneously controlled by the bulk modulus and shear modulus, while Vs and μρ are controlled only by the shear modulus, and the latter two parameters are less sensitive to hydrate-bearing layers. The bulk modulus is speculated to be more sensitive than the shear modulus to hydrates. In other words, estimating the specific gravity of the shear modulus among the combined parameters can affect the results from the combined elastic parameters regarding hydrate reservoirs.

Photoacoustic Detection in the Michelson Interferometer Cavity

For the first time, we report photoacoustic (PA) signal detection in a cell placed within the Michelson interferometer cavity in an attempt to relate photoacoustic effect to the Michelson fringe shift as a result of changes in the cell. Both detection schemes were investigated using IR absorption and their sensitivities compared. Signals related to Michelson interferometer fringe and PA effect have shown good correlations with each other using different samples including some essential oils and their corresponding plant part from which the essential oil is usually obtained. Results were encouraging and will open the door widely to use the combined Michelson interferometer-photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) in trace gas detection for different applications.